Barcelona Terror Attacks: Las Ramblas Reopens ‘In Show Of Defiance’

The city centre was closed down on Thursday evening after the van zigzagged through it, before the driver escaped on foot. So-called Islamic State has taken responsibility for the attack.

This morning, residents and tourists were allowed past police lines and slowly trickled back to their homes and hotels, though the city centre remained under heavy surveillance. Shop and stall-owners also opened for business.

A demonstration that will include a minute of silence honoring the victims was announced by public officials for Friday at noon at the Plaza Catalunya, next to the top of the Ramblas, where the deadly attack began.

Queues of people lined roads to get into the square itself, with police officers conducting careful searches of bags and persons.

“This is a way to show we are confronting this attack,” Estelle, a Barca native told HuffPost.